Is Nokia Back? Lumia Sales Up By 1.5 Million, Stock Price Goes Crazy

After a long struggle to regain relevance in the smartphone market, things might be looking up for Nokia.

The Finnish phone giant said on Thursday that its mobile devices division had "exceeded expectations".

In all Nokia said it sold 15.9 million smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2012, of which 4.4 million were Lumia Windows Phone devices.

That's up more than 30% on the third quarter, when it sold just 2.9 million Lumias.

Nokia's stock skyrocketed in response, rising by 23% as of press time before the start of trading.

The company had won plaudits for its Lumia range in 2011 and 2012, particularly for its industrial design. But it had struggled to match Apple and Samsung, and the collective weight of Google's Android OS.

Nokia received a boost in the fourth quarter due to the widespread release of its new Lumia 820 and 920 devices running the latest version of Microsoft's Windows Phone mobile OS.

It also said that its Asha line of smart phones, aimed primarily at developing markets like India, did well, selling more than 9.3 million units.

But all is not rosy at Nokia - the company warned that its performance would not be as positive in the first quarter of 2013 due to "seasonally weak" conditions and lower demand.

The company will announce its full results on 24 January.

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Nokia: Design Through The Ages

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Named after 10 November, the date it launched, this was among the world's first GSM mobile phones. Oddly enough, you could receive text messages but not send them.

The 2110 featured a 99-number phonebook, and a two-way scrolling control which meant you could actually navigate them. It was also the first phone with the signature 'Nokia' ringtone. You know the one... It was based on Gran Vals, a guitar piece by the 19th century Spanish composer Francisco Tarrega. Over time it was also highly annoying.

The Nokia 8110 was the first slider phone and was featured in the Matrix, resulting in a generation of slick idiots pretending to be Neo when picking up calls from their mum.

Nokia claims that was the 'world's first smartphone'. That might be pushing it - but it certainly pushed the boundaries. It had a full QWERTY keyboard, a 24 MHz i386 CPU, could be used horizontally or vertically, and could send a variety of messages - including faxes.

The 5510 was one of the first phones with a replaceable cover - and also one of the first to feature Snake. Which, kids, was a game in the olden days which drove. Us. Mad.

The 7650 was promoted in conjunction with the film Minority Report, but was actually fairly futuristic for its time. Beyond its experimental looks, it came with Nokia's first full colour screen and a built-in camera. This phone made Nokia the largest manufacturer of digital cameras in the world, the company claims.

The notoriously awkward, and now notoriously awesome 7600 featured a teardrop design, and a fabulously difficult to use interface.

The 1100 is one of the best-selling consumer devices ever made - 250 million have been shipped worldwide, largely in the developing world, due to its sustainable design, cheap price and built-in flashlight and radio.

Alongside the 7600, the 7280 is one of the weirdest phones ever produced. It featured a screen that faded to a mirror when it was inactive and used a Navi-spinner in the place of a keypad.

Just look at it.

The 8800 was a self-consciously premium device which featured a brushed-metal body, fine-pitch glass and ball-bearings in the slider. You probably weren't able to afford one.

The Lumia 800 and 900 are Nokia's flagship Windows Phone 7 devices. They've since shared a gold award from the Industrial Designers Society of America, and are widely seen as - in industrial design at least - among the most beautiful devices currently on sale.

The Lumia 800 and 900 are Nokia's flagship Windows Phone 7 devices. They've since shared a gold award from the Industrial Designers Society of America, and are widely seen as - in industrial design at least - among the most beautiful devices currently on sale.

The Nokia Asha 306 brings a full-touch smartphone experience to emerging markets, and in the spiritual inheritor to the Nokia 1100.